What It has been like living in a Pandemic Dealing With Covid-19

That is the hashtag you see all over the Internet on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Television. It’s become our country’s (no our world’s) anthem because we are all facing the same situation and rely on one another to make it through.

For the past two months, the world has been living with a pandemic amidst the Cornavirus or rather COVID-19 and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Families all over the world have been self-isolating, on lockdown, social distancing from everyone they love, and most trying to do their best to protect themselves and those living in their household from this virus that doesn’t seem to care who it takes along for the ride.

Things like washing your hands have become more than just a daily routine. We are now hyper-aware of each other in a way we never imagine. And questions arise. How did this all happen?

Is that person standing too close to me?

What if they breathe on me?

Can the virus stick to the bottom of my shoe?

Does everyone who gets the virus die?

Why aren’t kids getting the virus or homeless people?

Television and mainstream media have also changed. TV shows are now filmed from the comfort of home. Shows like American Idol, The View, Jimmy Kimmel, and Ellen. And on every channel, there are news updates every second of the day so you always stay informed.

My mom has been literally in the house for two months straight. Being that she is immune-compromised (having two open-heart surgeries, a diabetic, lung issues, and COPD … let’s just say if she did get COVID, she wouldn’t come off the ventilator and would die alone, at the hospital, with no family or friends to be by her side.

How sad is that?

In light the virus, our front line heroes are doing everything they can to help us stay safe and take care of those we love. Nurses and doctors, police, ambulance drivers, truck drivers, restaurants, grocery store clerks. Everyone has gone above and beyond the call of duty in dealing with this fucking disease that scarier than any horror movie we’ve ever seen.

Some people believe the virus is fake. Some believe it was started by the government, because well — let’s face it, the governments around the world wanted to wipe out the economy, kill millions of people, and put themselves at risk. Why wouldn’t they?

People are idiots.

The virus began in China due to their wet market and it’s simple touch transmission which means it’s highly contagious. Speaking of contagious, this movie hits close to home.

Truth? It doesn’t really matter how it began. The fact is, it’s here right now and we are living in unprecedented times. COVID-19 has affected everyone from every corner of the globe.

→ How have you been dealing with it?

I know for myself, I have not been handling the way the world has changed very well. And it has changed — drastically.

In the beginning, everyone panicked and began buying essential items. Things such as hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and paper towel have become gold. The paranoia and hoard buying, mainly so many people could make an extra buck online is extremely disgusting.

This is how the world began to cope. Now it’s a bit different, not much but different. You can no longer horde meat, paper products, and there is no sanitizer to be hand. Items are limited to one or two per family. And we have become use to waiting in line-ups to get in any store.

Being that I have bipolar disorder and severe anxiety, you can only imagine how COVID-19 has affected me mentally. I have a severe fear of death and dying. So living in a pandemic with a deadly virus is like my worst nightmare.

My husband and son are both immune compromised. So I am the one going grocery shopping. I run into the store, keep my head down, mask on, race to get what we need.

By the time I get back to the car, I’m sweating, tears falling down my face because shoppers still aren’t keeping six feet apart. They are still having conversations and socializing with one another. It’s like they don’t believe this is real. Everyone just wants to get back to work and get back to normal.

But our normal is gone.

Cute picture house I made. Stay tuned the tutorial is coming soon!

To pass the time and keep busy, I’ve been doing crafts at home. This year I made my mom a mother’s day gift. She loves it. All DIY Dollarstore stuff, but still fun to do. We are also going to be gardening and cleaning up our backyard.

I’m still struggling as we move into May. I haven’t blogged in over a month and half. The depression can be quite overwhelming, as is the fear I’m feeling every single time I leave the house. But I’m doing whatever I can to keep my family safe.

I no longer grocery shop if I don’t have to. I order my stuff online from Superstore, they bring it down and leave. I then proceed to wipe everything down before it goes into my car. Then of course, use hand sanitizer and Lysol to clean off door handles, steering wheel, buttons and knobs. Corey stays in the car.

When we get home, we wipe down our shoes in the foyer before putting the groceries on the counter. Then I immediately mop the entrance. I wipe all the stuff down again and put it away, before jumping into the shower and removing my clothes. Then I go around and wipe all the knobs and handles and light switches.

Needless to say, I spent a lot of time cleaning and crying.

I grieve the life we used to have. All the wonderful things we took for granted. Things like hugging each other. Being able to visit and have coffee together. Being able to care for others such as taking groceries to our senior friends or picking up medications for them. Having dinner with my folks, or putting my arms around my son who I have only seen three times in three months.

God, I miss him so much.

I love you Jacob.

But we have to move forward. Sure, bad things have happened during this virus. This pandemic has brought out the absolute worst in some people.

But it’s also brought out the best, and it has taught me what is really important in life which is living each and every day with the people I love and letting them know how much I love them.

We need to be kind to one another. We need to stop caring about money and things. I know we need money in order to survive, but life is so much more than just that. We need to pay attention, show empathy, help each other instead of turning a blind eye and being selfish. We need to remember everyone who stood on the line for us. Because as I stated in the begininning.

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ABOUT ME

Hello. I am a freelance writer. I live in the heart of the Fraser Valley with my husband, our Morkie ‘Harley’ and Kitty ‘Oreo’ and our son. I love to share things here to help make life easier, more affordable and fun!